Meat-chopper.



W. B, YEAKEL.

MEAT GHOPPEB. APPLICATION IILBD JULY 16, mos.

970,593. Patented Sept 20, 1910.

vwentoz WILLIAM B. YEAKEL, OF COOPERSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

MEAT-CHOPPER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed 'July 16, 1908.

Patented Sept. 20, 1910. Serial No. 443,908.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WVILLIAM B. YEAKEL, a citizen of the United States,residing at Coopersburg, in the county of Lehigh, State of Pennsylvania,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Meat-Choppers; andI do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to meat choppers of the class in which rotatingcutting members are employed having rotating arms formed with cuttingedges, and has for one of its objects to simplify and improve theconstruction of the chopper member and to increase the efficiency andutility, and avoid the tendency of devices of this character asordinarily constructed to grind the material outwardly against thecasing and thus retard the operation.

Another object of the invention is to produce a simply constructeddevice having double cutting blades, so that by reversing the movementthe discharge apertures may be more readily cleared from obstructingmaterial.

Vith these and other objects in view the improved device consistsgenerally in a hub, preferably rectangular, and adapted to be attachedto a drive shaft with an arm extending from each corner of the hub andforming continuations of the four sides of the same, With cutting edgesalong both sides of each arm and with the outer portions curving withthe knife edges continued throughout the curved portions and with theterminals of the arms concentric to the axial line of the shaft, so thatas the knife is rotated in one direction the material is drawn towardthe hub and all tendency of the material to be forced outwardly andground against the casing is obviated, while at the same time theconcentric outer faces of the arms scrape the interior of the casing andprevent clogging. And by reversing the movement the curved arms oper atein the opposite direction and cause their cutting edges to clear theslots 19 from 0bstruction, and effectually prevent any tendency to clogthe slots as hereafter more fully explained.

The invention consists in certain novel features of construction ashereafter shown and described and then specifically pointed out in theclaims, and in the drawings illustrating the preferred embodiment of the1nvention- Figure l is a side elevation of one of the improved chopperdevices arranged within its casing, the casing being in section. Fig. 2is a transverse section enlarged on the line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is anedge view of the knife element detached with one of the cutting bladesin section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Much annoyance has been experienced heretofore in the operation of meatchoppers from the tendency of the chopping device to crowd the materialagainst the easing and produce a grinding action rather than a cuttingact-ion, and the principal object of the present invention is to obviatethese objections by forming the cutter so that it produces a cuttingaction upon the material at all points of the action and at the sametime scrapes adhering material from the interior of the casing.

In devices of this character the discharge slots are liable to becomeclogged with the material, and great difficulty is experienced sometimesin clearing the slots, but with applicants improved device when theslots become clogged the motion of the member 10 is reversed with theefi'ect of causing the curved edges of the arms 12 to operate in theopposite direction over the slots and force the material outwardly, andthus offectually clear the slots by reversing the cutting action. Thisis an important feature of applicants device and adds materially to itsefliciency and utility.

The improved device comprises a hub preferably rectangular and engaginga correspondingly rectangular shaft, the hub being provided with an armextending at each corner and in alinement with its sides with. the outerportions of the arms curving outwardly, the arms having cutting edges attheir outer sides and the curved portion likewise having cutting edgeson both sides and continuing the cutting edges of the arms, whereby whenthe hub is rotated in one direction one set of the cutting edges passover the cutter plate in curved lines and operate to move the materialtoward the center of the hub, and thus obviate any tendency to move thematerial toward the casing. An effectual cutting action thus results andall tendency to grind or crowd the material against the casing isobviated.

The improved chopper thus requires much less power to operate it thanwhen the arms are formed in straight radial lines and without the curvedportions, as will be obvious.

In the drawings the hub portion is represented at 10, preferably squareand fitting over a square shaft 11 and the curving, ex-

tended arms represented at 12 with the cut ting edges at 13, the outerportions of the arms curving outwardly as at 1% and with correspondingcurving cutting edges 15 merging into the cutting edges 13 of the arms,with the terminals of the arms concentric to the axial line of the huband the shaft as at- 16 so that the terminals of the arms move in closecontact with the interior of the casing represented at 17. The cuttingor chopping element is arranged to operate against a face plateindicated at 18 provided with radially disposed apertures 19 throughwhich the cut material is forced by the action of the feeders operatingin the rear of the chopper, the feeders not being shown as they form nopart of the present invention and as their construction is so wellknown.

By this simple arrangement it will be obvious that as the chopperrotates in one di rection the material is crowded against the face plate18, and the improved chopper by the action of the feeders is crowdedthrough the apertures 19 and the rotating knives cut the materialagainst the edges of the apertures and severs it, and at the same timecrowds the material inwardly toward the hub and away from the casing andthus obviates the tendency of the arms to crowd the material against theinterior of the casing. This action relieves the chopper from arelatively large amount of the strain and resistance and decreases thepower required to operate it. The device thus runs much more easily thanwith the ordinary form of chopper.

It will be noted that the cutting action is of the shearing form, theshearing action being inwardly toward the hub by the curved form of theouter portions of the cutting members and such shearing action takesplace whether the head 10 is moved forward to produce the cutting actionupon the material, or reversed in motion to effect the clearing of theslot 9, as above described.

The concentric end 16 of the arms is also an important feature of theinvention and adds materially to its efficiency and utility as theinterior of the casing is thus automatically cleared of any adheringmaterial which would otherwise retard the action.

The improved device is simple in construction, and can be manufacturedwithout increased expense. The cutting device may be of any requiredsize and any required number of the arms may be employed upon each hubbut generally four of the arms will be employed, as shown.

What is claimed, is

1. A cutter for meat choppers comprising a central hub formed with aplurality of angular sides each having a continuous cutting edge, andcurved arms extending from said hub at the juncture of the angular sidesand forming continuations of the same, said arms having cutting edges onboth sides and merging into the cutting edges of the hub, so that thecutting edges of the arms and of the hub are continuous from end to end,whereby when the cutter is rotated in one direction the food will be cutand moved outwardly away from the hub and will be cut and moved inwardlytoward the hub when the cutter is rotating in the opposite direction.

2. The combination with a disk having a plurality of radially arrangedslots, of a cutter arranged to rotate over said disk and comprising acentral hub formed with a plurality of angular sides each having acontinuous cutting edge and curved arms extending from said hub at thejuncture of the angular sides and forming curved continuations of thesame, said arms having cutting edges on both sides and merging into thecutting edges of the hub, so that the cutting edges of the arms and ofthe hub are continuous from end to end, whereby when the cutter isrotated in one direction over the slotted disk the food will be cutacross the slots and carried outwardly and will be cut across the slotsand carried inwardly when the cutter is rotated in the other direction.

In testimony whereof, I afliX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM B. YEAKEL.

Vitnesses WILLIAM S. FRANKENFIELD, JOHN H. YEAKEL.

